SSQ | Cambridge, Roland, and Crescent Streets | Charlestown

Equilibria

Equilibria

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PNF: https://bpda.app.box.com/s/ckozjh9ui4ok8s02ei5ueuqr5upark8q

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Thanks, didnt realize this was a separate development and didnt want to create a duplicate thread again. Apparently it was!
 
This looks like a generally good project - nothing too crazy about it, nothing outwardly bad, I'd say. There's actually some good texture going on with most of the facades, which is nice to see. (We'll see what gets built, I suppose)...

Does anybody have good experience with exterior exposed wooden siding, as shown in the residential component here? While it looks nice in renders, the stuff is so susceptible to our weather, and that entire building could look grey and warped in a few years' time (perfect for our grey winters). Even with good maintenance, some pieces are naturally going to expand/contract/warp. Any success stories?
 
www.bostonglobe.com

Labs, housing pitched in first phase of massive Sullivan Square project - The Boston Globe

A Boston-based development team has formally kicked off city review for the first phase of a massive mixed-use project in Charlestown’s Sullivan Square that aims to construct four new buildings spanning 1.5 million square feet.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

1) Landscrapers in Sullivan Square = yuck. Time to adopt Amsterdam real estate tax formula to save urbanity in Boston.
2) 112 residential units for the 1.5 million square foot development? Insult. Mayor Wu has all the leverage. If these massive project developers want their billion dollar project, they'll have to pony up 50 residential units for every 100,000 square feet of lab. So this needs to have 750 residential units.
 
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shmessy said:
www.bostonglobe.com

Labs, housing pitched in first phase of massive Sullivan Square project - The Boston Globe

A Boston-based development team has formally kicked off city review for the first phase of a massive mixed-use project in Charlestown’s Sullivan Square that aims to construct four new buildings spanning 1.5 million square feet.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

1) Landscrapers in Sullivan Square = yuck. Time to adopt Amsterdam real estate tax formula to save urbanity in Boston.
2) 112 resdientail units for the 1.5 million square foot development? Insult. Mayor Wu has all the leverage. If these massive project developers want their billion dollar project, they'll have to pony up 50 residential units for every 100,000 square feet of lab. So this needs to have 750 residential units.
Click to expand...

You’re so right. Every other headline these reports on our housing crisis. But I think Wu would rather just control rent - at least that’s what she ran on. I hope she 180s that, this would be a great project to show commitment to increasing housing.
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
You’re so right. Every other headline these reports on our housing crisis. But I think Wu would rather just control rent - at least that’s what she ran on. I hope she 180s that, this would be a great project to show commitment to increasing housing.
Click to expand...


I truly hope she eventually understands that increasing SUPPLY is far more beneficial to the city (and tenants) than artifically controlling pricing. ENLARGE THE TENT.

The cure is available. Use the natural one, not the artifical one.
 
shmessy said:
www.bostonglobe.com

Labs, housing pitched in first phase of massive Sullivan Square project - The Boston Globe

A Boston-based development team has formally kicked off city review for the first phase of a massive mixed-use project in Charlestown’s Sullivan Square that aims to construct four new buildings spanning 1.5 million square feet.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

1) Landscrapers in Sullivan Square = yuck. Time to adopt Amsterdam real estate tax formula to save urbanity in Boston.
2) 112 residential units for the 1.5 million square foot development? Insult. Mayor Wu has all the leverage. If these massive project developers want their billion dollar project, they'll have to pony up 50 residential units for every 100,000 square feet of lab. So this needs to have 750 residential units.
Click to expand...
I used to work around here and while I agree in general, I think the proposals that put housing more by the water on the other side of Sullivan (eg on Medford St and Mystic Ave) are probably closer to where demand will be. These blocks are so highway and industrial focused, I'm okay with them being mostly lab. But that requires the City to speedily approve the 700 apts on mystic ave in the proposed tower :)
 
curcuas said:
I used to work around here and while I agree in general, I think the proposals that put housing more by the water on the other side of Sullivan (eg on Medford St and Mystic Ave) are probably closer to where demand will be. These blocks are so highway and industrial focused, I'm okay with them being mostly lab. But that requires the City to speedily approve the 700 apts on mystic ave in the proposed tower :)
Click to expand...

Good point about the immediate area, curcuas, but that 5 over 1 residential building in this development can easily be a 30 story tower. It's a weird looking shrinky dink prawn next to those huge labs. It's as if the developers worked hard to make jerky from a side of beef.

The waterfront residentials will be the luxury stuff - - this development should get Linkage payments from the waterfront luxury development to kick up the affordable ratio in a 30+ story tower here. The city needs to get innovative here. Enlarge the tent. It's time. We CAN walk and chew gum at the same time. Increase the luxury market (high tax revenue) and increase the affordable market. It can be a domino effect. All these labs are going to need more highly paid STEM'ers AND the support personnel.
 
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Supplemental Filing: https://bpda.app.box.com/s/us2e2ax8qoq1jxhd7x7kvuhaufu268mw

Substantial change here - this particular proposal no longer includes many of the parcels along Washington Street (they'll probably be proposed at some later point). The residential component is now concentrated at the intersection of Cambridge and Crescent and actually has more units than previously proposed. Raises the question of whether this is an early indication of peaking in the lab market.

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Lived in ctown for a long time…everyone preaching density etc. The off-ramp shown above, Gilmore bridge, such a mess, so much traffic over there. Assembly show horned in + everything going on in Everett, and no plans for transit. Maybe I’m getting old but don’t miss trying to get in/out of ctown during rush.
 
I think the parcels that were removed on Cambridge are in use light industrial space. One is an old printing shop that may now be makerspace. One wonders if they're already renting it and waiting to build on it til later.
 
curcuas said:
I think the parcels that were removed on Cambridge are in use light industrial space. One is an old printing shop that may now be makerspace. One wonders if they're already renting it and waiting to build on it til later.
Click to expand...

Maybe they're thinking Elizabeth Warren will run for President in 2024 and need it again?
 
@Equilibria BBJ article mentions the lab peak concern as well.

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“Rise Together and Trax Development now plan to construct only one lab building in the first phase of their expansive mixed-use development in Charlestown’s Sullivan Square, rather than the two originally envisioned.

The developers told the Boston Planning and Development Agency in April that they intended to build two lab-and-office facilities and two residential buildings as part of a first phase at Sullivan Square. The four buildings were to include nearly 1 million square feet of space.

But in a recent filing with the BPDA, Boston-based Rise and Newton-based Trax said they would no longer put a 246,000-square-foot life sciences building at 100 Cambridge St. It still plans to build the larger of the two lab facilities, a 632,000-square-foot building at 40 Roland St.

The filing does not detail the reasons for the change. Rise Together CEO Herby Duverne said in an emailed statement that the firm changed the proposal to address comments from community members about the uses of the site and density.

The changes come amid increasing concern in the real estate community that there may not be enough demand to fill all of the tens of millions of square feet of life sciences space either proposed or under construction in Greater Boston.

Rise and Trax are also making some changes to the project’s residential component. Instead of a 60-unit building at 116 Cambridge St., they are now planning a 72-unit building at a nearby address, 128-142 Cambridge St. The other residential building will still have 52 units. Duverne said the firm sought to maintain its residential commitment given Boston’s housing crisis.

All told, the phase is set to have about 768,000 square feet of gross floor area, a 23% decrease.

This phase is the first of three in Rise’s and Trax’s proposed Sullivan Square development. The overall development is expected to include roughly 2 million square feet of lab, office, residential and other types of space.”
 
24 Roland - This'll be really tucked back in here with the scaled back development (warehouses to the left will remain).
65 by LexSEDotVille, on Flickr

Site pano
67 by LexSEDotVille, on Flickr

66 by LexSEDotVille, on Flickr

145 Cambridge St - Buildings to be demolished
73 by LexSEDotVille, on Flickr

128 Cambridge St (backside from Roland)- Parking to remain, Puritan Garage + body shops to be demolished
68 by LexSEDotVille, on Flickr
 
wow. not sure how i feel about all that demo. but im hopeful the change is for the best.
 
BCDC: https://bpda.app.box.com/s/gmdn19rfuxqgtlgl9oza56b83ke83kge

DPIR: https://bpda.app.box.com/s/hewfv8xeggxdmoo8xs5uu603gcvzsxsf

I believe this is the first time they've explicitly mentioned tying in the mixed-use path. Recall that this project originally included 100 Cambridge (the biggest building in the render at the top), which has been excluded now. One of the residential buildings has also be been moved to be across Cambridge Street fromthe other. The reference to a "100 Cambridge owner" in some of the diagrams makes me think that a property owner backed out of the project.

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Looks pretty good, especially the two residential + retail on Cambridge St. I'd be curious to know why the other surrounding lots are no longer included - it leaves Cambridge St. as is (bleak) and really tucks away the Roland St. building. Hopefully a sign another developer is pursuing these lots?

One gripe I have is the amount of park/greenspace included with this project in unappealing locations - especially with 93 ramps looming right nextdoor. I'm glad to see the inclusion of future MAPC bike path, but these spaces are going to be uninviting to anyone not passing through, no matter how well landscaped. I'm also surprised by the "Brighton Park" being labeled as an 'open space public giveback.' I'm curious why this lot/location - and why it's included in this project, especially because without future development on Cambridge St. it'll be a pretty unappealing park (traffic, onramps, surrounded by parking lots).

(7) Rayburn Garden 'scenery':
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(2) Brighton Park environs:
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